


Friends

by TirNanOg89



Series: Past Is Prologue [6]
Category: Person of Interest (TV), Stargate - All Series
Genre: AU, Light BDSM, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 09:16:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3405293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TirNanOg89/pseuds/TirNanOg89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John meets some new friends, of the life changing variety.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends

Friends.

 

John silently slipped into the warehouse, he knew it was supposed to be empty, and he trusted Finch with his life, but mistakes were a fact of life, he had learnt that the hard way in the Army and had it reinforced a million times over with the CIA, and he was out of contact with Finch as the signal had died as he entered the building. He couldn’t see anyone, couldn’t hear anyone, as he checked the perimeter, and had to work hard to ignore the victim while he made sure he was alone and as safe as possible. As much as he lived to help others he wasn’t suicidal any more, he had too much to live for now, and he couldn’t help anyone if he was dead, like the poor bastard hung up next to their number. John had seen a lot in his life, as a Green Beret and a CIA field operative, but this pretty much took the top spot for torture. An unknown person was hung up next to Fairfax and it was fair to say he would be glad of rescue after seeing what had been done to the last victim. John had to very carefully control his self, in many ways, after his first glance of the room had shown him parts of other victims littering the floor, small parts. The man, which he only knew because he was naked and lacked breasts, had been cut up with what looked to be a laser cutter, hot enough to cauterise the wounds as they were made, which didn’t explain how the guy had survived as long as he had, and there were too many pieces laying on the floor for one person. Both victims were hung on butchers hooks through each shoulder, which was bad enough, but to be slowly cut up, piece by piece was beyond anything John had witnessed before.

Luckily they hadn't started on their latest victim yet, so he could at least save him, but he hadn't expected to find someone else already there and near dead. Jamul Fairfax number had been given to them just hours before he had been taken, there had been no demands and no apparent reason behind it. It had taken Harold two days to find the man, scouring every camera in the city, and had finally seen him as he was bought to this warehouse about an hour ago. As John was heading there Harold had told him that everyone else had left, pulling out after an apparent argument in the car park. Finally certain they were alone John moved to help Fairfax, wondering how he was supposed to get him down without hurting him worse. John was not an unrealistic man, he knew his own limitations, and after the bollocking he had got off Carter recently he called her for help instead of trying, she would bring paramedics and a lot more people, who would do a lot less harm than he would if he tried to cut the guy down. John went back outside to call Carter and let Harold know what was happening before going back in to watch over the man as he waited. Fairfax was still unconscious, luckily, so John forgave his self for nearly jumping through the roof when the 'other' guy moaned in pain behind him. John slowly turned around, once he had control of his heart, and took in the big brown, pleading eyes.

"Help is on the way. There is nothing I can do alone without making things worse, I'm sorry."  
"Help Jovan."  
"Is that your name?"

The man sighed and looked at Fairfax. John sighed.

"His name is Jamul Fairfax, I don’t know what they have done with your friend. I will search for him when help gets here but I wont leave you alone. What's your name?"  
"Luka. This host will not survive, I can not repair what has been taken away, he just wants me to let him go, but I can't until Jovan is safe."  
"You are strangely talkative, all things considered. What drugs have they given you? What did they want from you?"  
"They want what they cannot have, and we would never have told them even if we had known."

While Luka had been talking his voice had faded, John knew better than to approach someone, no matter how close to death they might appear, as if they were harmless, and he had no idea who this guy was or why he had been tortured so, but his last words for a loved one were important, he knew because he had never heard Jessica's, so he cautiously moved closer, not near enough that the man could reach him, certainly not without arms, but close enough to hear, then Fairfax shifted and he turned, for a split second and felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck. He slapped his hand to his neck and felt something on him, it was long and quite thick and too slimy to grip as he felt it burrow into his neck. He glared at the mutilated body still hanging in front of him and the last thing he heard before everything went black was.

"Thank you, please forgive him, only for Jovan."

************ 

John felt like he was floating, it was almost like being on the good drugs after a bad injury only not as hazy, but it was even more disconcerting, and terrifying, because he had no control and he knew it, he didn’t know what or who was around him, he didn’t know if or how much danger he was in, he didn’t know if Harold was ok, the last Finch had heard from him he was going into a potentially deadly situation with no radio contact, and that never put him in a good mood.

[I'm sorry.]  
[Who are you?]  
[I'm sorry, I couldn’t take the chance you would say no, I am so sorry, I had to protect him.]  
[Who are you?]  
[I am Luka, I'm so sorry, if it was only me I wouldn’t have, ever, I swear, I would have died first, but Jovan, they had my Jovan.]

John thought about this for a long moment, he still didn’t know what Luka was apologising for, all he remembered was a sharp pain in his neck, and something slippery on him. But he did understand the need to do anything to save your partner, and he wasn’t dead or in pain so he would hear him out for now, before deciding what to do about him.

[What did you do to me?]  
[I'm sorry.]  
[You apologise once more before you tell me why and I will make you sorry.]  
[Ah. Ok. I have committed the worst crime of my people, I didn’t have your permission to blend.]  
[That's your peoples worst crime? What are you Vulcan?]

John knew he was being more than a little sarcastic but he figured it was warranted.

[I have never met a Vulcan, what is their planet? Do you know the symbol address?]

John gave his self the pleasure of running that whole conversation through his head, including asking if the guy had ever been to Narnia, but he manfully kept it inside, didn’t actually let it out, so he figured he was due a pat on the back. He took a deep breath and reminded his self the guy probably couldn’t help it if he was insane, and got on with the conversation.

[No, no I don’t know the address. I do know somewhere safe we could go, near here but safe from those that attacked you.]  
[I have us safe, all of us.]  
[So you want to tell me 'exactly' what you have done since you attacked me while I was trying to help?]

Ok, so his hold on the sarcasm wasn’t perfect, but he felt it was more than justified, he had no idea how long he had been gone and Harold would be going spare by now.

[I'm sor… um, right, my host was too damaged, you saw what they had done to him, they did the same to Jovan's host, they just kept going until he had no choice but to take refuge in the man they bought in today, he is so tired, he has tried to help the host, he healed the wounds they inflicted but he can't go on much longer without a rest, we just need somewhere safe for a while, please, then we will find a willing host, I swear to you, we will leave if you want us to but Jovan needs to rest. I explained everything to your friend when he woke up.]  
[What?]

John's voice went cold and deadly, precisely controlled and full of death.

[And that is why I had to have full control of you, why I haven't shared, because you would kill us both rather than endanger your partner, just as I would for mine. Jovan didn’t have the time it would have taken to convince you both, so I convinced Harold, by letting him think you agreed. I am sorry, I would never have done this under any other circumstances, but Jovan's life is more important to me than a million rules or ethics or a clear conscience. And I know you would do the same for Harold. I'm not explaining my self very well, am I? I am Luka, of the Tok'ra, we are a symbiotic race, we live inside a host, share their body and mind, help each other, we are practically one. Only in the past, my people broke away from the rest of our species, because they did not see the need to share, they, the Goa'uld, took over a host and did what ever they wanted with it, they use the sarcophagi indiscriminately and it strips them of any rationality or empathy, any sign of decency or what you would call humanity, is stripped away with over use, what can heal you, kills your soul if you allow it. But our foremother realised what was happening, she saw how despicable our people were becoming, so she and my brethren stood against Ra, hence the name we took for our selves, Tok means against. Jovan and I were stranded on this planet when your people buried the Chaapa'ai, so we have lived quietly, just trying to survive, finding a new host when the last was ready to pass on, and only used the sarcophagus when it was absolutely necessary, we have never taken an unwilling host before, and I never thought I would, but I couldn’t chance them killing Jovan, they already hurt him so much, I couldn’t let it go on, I'm sorry Mr Harris, but I had no better choice.]

John's voice was still cold.

[What did you call me?]  
[Mr Harris, sorry, yes I see, you go by Mr Reese, I will remember.]  
[How do you know that name?]  
[Like I said, we share the body and 'mind' of our host, the reason you feel so disconnected is because I disconnected you. I am that slippery thing you felt at your neck, I am inside you now, I have attached myself to your brainstem and taken control of your body. After looking over the surface of your mind while you were unconscious I realised that you would fight me every step of the way until you realised exactly what was going on and I couldn’t take the chance of you winning. Quite frankly Mr Reese, you have an intimidating mind, given time I wouldn’t be surprised if you were the first person alive to evict a symbiote, especially with how weak I am, so I couldn’t give you the opportunity. I have never come across, one like you before, I really don’t want to fight, I just had to save Jovan, and explain before you killed me, Harold is perfectly safe, he is hosting Jovan, willingly, and when Jovan is rested he will help him too, fix as much of the damage that has been done to him as possible, and if he wants we will take him to the Sarcophagus and he will be made whole and perfect again. I am not a selfish or heartless creature Mr Reese, but I wont let anything else happen to my Jovan.]

John didn’t really have much choice, he could either think this through rationally or go berserk, and the latter would get him nowhere good, he still remembered the last time it happened, well, the aftermath anyway, the actual events were still lost to him but the end result was far from pleasant and he really didn’t want to go through that again if he could help it, 'waking up' covered in blood, surrounded by dead bodies was never fun. So he thought. Luka was in him! Which was more than a little freaky and could well drive a sane man mad, but, had he done any harm? John's life, since Finch had found him, had been dedicated to saving lives, just like it had before the CIA had twisted him up in so many ways he hadn't known good from bad or right from wrong, he had saved his soul as well as his life that morning he had first offered him a purpose, so why not save one, or two, more, just because they were different? Difference was not a thing that had ever stopped him before, he wasn’t hypocritical, so why let it now, a life was a life, and anyone that needed saving deserved to be saved if he could, so, the real question was, had he done any harm? Had he done enough bad to be irredeemable? Had he hurt Finch? Until he could answer those questions he would wait, and give him the benefit of the doubt, but if he had hurt Finch he wouldn’t survive the day.

[That I already knew! And I would never hurt anyone unless they gave me no choice. Mr Finch is perfectly fine, if you stay still and don’t try to move for just a moment I will give you back control of your body, just don’t try to move for a moment or you'll get dizzy and disoriented, it would be easier if you close your eyes but I don’t actually expect you to do that.]

The last was said with a wry humour that prompted Reese to close his eyes just to prove him wrong, not to be petty, just to prove that Luka didn’t know everything about him. The feeling of shock that washed through him as he found his self back in his body, laid out on the sofa was almost as satisfying as the only time he had been able to truly shock Harold, when he had shown him his true nature. When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was Harold, looking down at him, he was sat next to him on the sofa, which he would have known before if he had had any of his senses working, leaning over him, and the tight little lines of pain around his eyes were gone.

"Harold?"  
"Mr Reese, I am perfectly fine, better than I have been in years actually."  
"It doesn’t hurt."

John said it as a statement not a question and Harold smiled sweetly down at him.

"No, it doesn’t. Jovan is sleeping right now, he was exhausted by the torture those animals put him and his hosts through, but he managed to block off the pain for me, he will do his best to fix what he can when he is well again. I take it you came to an understanding with Luka?"  
"Kinda."  
"That's what I thought. I wasn’t impressed when I realised he had fooled me, but it didn’t change any of the reasons I agreed to host Jovan, it just made me listen faster than I would have otherwise. No harm has been done, so far, so I think the benefit of the doubt is not unreasonable at this stage. Their means are definitely questionable, but no more so than yours can be."

John looked up at him through his eyelashes, a tiny hint of a smirk on his lips.

"Only when they have to be."  
"Indeed, no worse than necessary, the same as Luka, he really is your kind of man, or whatever he actually is, they have no real gender you know, I should think it cuts down on bigotry, but they found other ways instead, like treating all other species as inferior, sentient or not, which is why the Tok'ra broke off in the first place."  
"Harold, I don’t want a history lesson. Are you ok?"  
"John. I already told you I am perfectly ok, better than ok. They haven't hurt me, or coerced me or anything nefarious."  
"Then where is Bear?"

Harold looked startled for a long moment, then guilty, then he stood up and limped to the kitchen door opening it to let Bear out. Bear walked out slowly, sniffing Harold carefully, then trotting over to John. John held his hand down for the Malinois to sniff. He was carefully inspected by a wary Bear until he was eventually accepted, then Bear went back to Harold and gave him the same inspection before finally settling down in his bed. John looked at Harold.

"Yes, well, he knew it wasn’t just you when you got here. Whether it was smell or something else I don’t know but Bear knew it wasn’t you, so he went a little mad. Once Luka had explained what was happening and what he wanted of me, I eventually agreed, Bear didn’t. He wouldn’t let you near me, so I put him in the kitchen, then I got to know Jovan a little, then you woke up and I forgot to let him out. Sorry."  
"Bene Bear, good boy."

John watched him carefully as he explained, trying to get any hint that this wasn’t 'his' Harold, that he had been usurped, taken over and was being impersonated by some invader. He appreciated that Luka didn’t try to argue his case, though he could feel his distress at the idea of being an invader, and John didn’t like feeling that distress at all, he was hard wired to alleviate distress in others, it was part of the Pack/Beta mentality. Luka pricked up his metaphorical ears at that.

[Pack?]  
[I thought you were in my head?]  
[I had no choice but to take you as host, that didn’t make me think I had the right to snoop in your head any more than I had too. If you invite me to blend with you fully I will know everything you do, and you will know everything I do, which is not necessarily a blessing, I have been around a long time, I have seen and done a lot, and not all of it good, though life has been quiet since we got stranded here on Earth.]  
"Harold, when Jovan speaks to you, do you feel anything?"  
"Yes John, I feel his emotions, I can feel his exhaustion even as he sleeps."  
"And you didn’t get the impression he was faking it at any point? No feeling of betrayal?"  
"No John, but if they were faking, were duping us, how would we know? We could be fooling ourselves, or each other, both of us are completely compromised, so at this point it hardly matters. Luka already convinced me once that you were completely on board, though I should have insisted on speaking directly to you I suppose, but would I have known the difference? I don’t know Mr Reese, and I don’t think we ever will, but Bear is at ease with us both still, so I think we have to take them on faith, your favourite thing."

John grinned wryly at him for that, it was true after all, he had had all the faith burned out of him by the CIA, until Harold had found him, and created a new spark in him that grew into true belief, and that is why he had told Harold 'everything'. Again he felt Luka's curiosity, and pushed it back for the time being, he would get there soon enough. 

"So what are we going to do?"  
"You put too much faith in 'me' Mr Reese. As usual, despite your persistent belief, I do not always have the right answers to hand immediately, I will have to research."  
"Okay, I'm gonna chat with Luka, set a few house rules."  
"Good luck with that."

Harold couldn’t help the grin, he had the feeling that by the end of the day those two would either be inseparable or trying to kill each other, he just hoped it would be the former. John grinned back at his partner and laid back on the sofa, closing his eyes.

[So, congratulations, you were smart enough not to hurt Finch.]  
[As I said, not unless I have to.]  
[Like me, as Harold said, and you would do anything for your partner, so we have enough in common to give this a go. If anyone gets hurt because you have interfered with a case, I will find a way to make you hurt. If you ever hurt Harold, or get him hurt in any way, by any means, I will kill you.]  
[I know, and if you hurt Jovan I would do the same, but as long as Jovan is with Harold, they are my first priority, because Jovan is the most precious thing in this universe.]  
[Good to know we agree on that. You told me a lot about you earlier, so what do you need to know?]  
[Do I have your permission to blend with you? It will allow us both to know everything, there is no way to lie or even tint things in our favour, you will see everything I have done, as I did while I was doing it, and so will I.]  
[No chance to lie?]  
[None, once our minds are joined neither of us can hide anything from the other, you will know everything, for good or bad.]  
[And you will know what I have done.]  
[Yes John, but believe me, it can be no worse than I have done, I have been alive for over five thousand years, I have been there and done that, as they say, I have fought in a millennia long galactic war, and before that I took over peoples bodies and minds without a thought to them at all, you could not possibly have done worse than I.]

John thought it over for a moment, then nodded, Luka could take the knowledge at any time, and he hadn't, so what harm was there in sharing peacefully? 

[Yes, you have my permission to blend.]

Luka sighed in relief, from what little he had seen, and what Jovan had told him, he already liked John Reese, he wanted to stay with him, and Jovan and Harold were already getting on, he didn’t want to have to leave any time soon, like the next few thousand years or so. Luka let his mind roam free, pushing into Johns memories and opening his own, blending fully with his new companion, and got a hell of a shock. 

************ 

The boy was small, very small, only about four, he spoke well for his age, his mother said he was clever, would be an amazing hunter when he was grown, but he was lost, he had gotten separated from the tribe during the great summer move. He refused to be scared, fear was for babies, and he wasn’t. So he kept walking, searching for any sign of anything he recognised, but he got distracted by the shinny shards hanging in the air, they were mesmerising, so beautiful, he had to touch them, but they weren't solid, so he stepped through. The other side was quiet, dark, he was surrounded by trees he didn’t recognise, then the light disappeared. The air didn’t smell right, the water didn’t taste right, the plants didn’t look right, and when he shifted to hunt, he caught something small and furry, he was too young to have had any hope of catching anything, but he was so hungry by the third day that he had tried, and caught something. He ate it ravenously, then went in search of more, and found them.

************ 

The boy still wasn’t sure about the people that had found him, but they had fed him and cleaned him and given him clothes, or he assumed it was clothes as they dressed him in it, though it wasn’t made out of hide, but it was clean and warm. He still couldn’t understand their language, but he was determined to learn. They seemed shocked when they found him with the blade he had made out of the animal bone, the woman especially, but the man also seemed impressed so he didn’t mind. He screamed in fear when they put him in the box then made it rumble like thunder, then once they had calmed him down, it moved, and he screamed again. He wasn’t a baby, he was a hunter! But that was terrifying. 

************ 

They named him John, 'The Lord Graciously Gave', they were Jean and Raymond Harris and they couldn’t have children of their own, he learnt later, so they saw him as a gift from God, or at least that was how they justified it to their selves, but he didn’t mind, he had nobody else, no where to go back to, and he was comfortable and well fed. It didn’t take him long to learn the language, he was even smarter than his mother knew and had an affinity with languages. The Harris's decided he was about four, but would need more time to acclimatise before going to any kind of school, so they said his birthday was September 26th to give him the extra year, he made good use of it. He never shifted with them, never told them, never told anyone.

************ 

John would have stayed in the army forever, it was where he felt at home, comfortable, safe, strange as that was. Then the CIA recruited him, it was talked about in the barracks, everyone knew a guy that knew a guy and it was an honour to be chosen, and it was really happening to him. Once the training was over he felt numb, a quite voice in the back of his mind was constantly urging him to run, to leave them all behind, just shift and leave, never show his human face again if that was what it took but get out now! Only he had given his word, so he had to see it through. Then they tried to kill him, so he left, without thought or even a hint of hesitation, he left. They had no loyalty, so they deserved none.

************ 

Carter 'saw' him, saw through the alcohol, the silence, the hair and the grime, and saw the soldier, saw the men she had worked with for so many years, and recognised the defeat in his eyes too.   
Then he was taken to Finch, his saviour, his life, his Pack. He had all the 'bad guys' he could want to take out, he was helping people again, he had a purpose. 

************ 

Root took Finch.

************ 

John didn’t care that he had threatened The Machine, but Finch did.   
John didn’t care if anyone had gotten hurt while he was trying to get him back, but Finch did.   
John didn’t think he was worthy of Finch, but Finch did.   
John didn’t think he would live long, fighting to save the Numbers, but Finch did.  
John didn’t care if he survived as long as Finch was safe, but Finch did.

************ 

They found Bear and they were truly a Pack, he had a family again. He would take Bear to the country when ever he could, or Central Park late at night if he couldn’t get away, and fool his self into believing just for a moment that Harold was on his way, they would run together, baying at the moon, driving a few drug dealers out of the park at the same time, win-win!

************ 

John eventually realised that Finch trusted him as much as he trusted Finch after Root had tried to 'free' The Machine and he had given him full admin access, though they both showed it in weird and wonderful ways, and that was when he knew he could finally tell someone. He stared at Harold for a long time on a cold, quiet evening, until Finch got uneasy and asked what was wrong.

"Do you remember when I said you didn’t know everything?"  
"Clearly, I have an excellent memory."  
"If I tell you, would you promise to keep my secrets for me?"  
"Do you not think I have proven I can keep a confidence Mr Reese?"

Finch got that haughty tone he always used when he was genuinely annoyed but mostly upset.

"I know you can, which is why I asked if you 'would'."  
"Oh. Of course I will, unless your life depended on telling, then I would tell."  
"I doubt it will come to that, but if it does, then I would accept it as necessary. And thank you. I don’t really know how to tell you, so I thought I would just show you? If that's ok? Maybe you could sit down?"  
"I'm fine where I am thank you, now do get on with it Mr Reese, we could get a number at any moment."

John smiled at the bluster, and shifted, shaking his clothes off as soon as he was on four legs, then stood still so Finch could look his fill.

Harold looked at Reese in stunned silence, he was a wolf, no question about it, he was a wolf. He was white and grey, not a hint of brown on him, if he was laid in the snow he could easily be mistaken for dappled shadow, though Harold was almost certain he wasn’t a 'grey wolf', he was too stocky and his legs weren't long enough, he wouldn’t be able to run as fast as a grey wolf but would probably win a fight with one easily, he was so muscular. Then it clicked that this was Reece! Harold fell over, literally, in shock, but the wolf was beside him, pushing him to the sofa before he could hit the floor, and he realised they spent years training dogs to do this for the disabled, they should have just hired John. Then he realised he may be in shock because his usually reliable mind was throwing rubbish at him. He sat on the sofa fussing Johns head like he would Bear, then realised it was in fact John and Bear was coming over to say hi, so he obviously knew John like this.

"Why did Bear know before me?"

He sounded so genuinely upset by that that John couldn’t help shifting back to apologise.

"I'm sorry, but the worst he could do was run back to you, you could have left me."  
"I never would!"  
"I wasn’t sure until now, I'm sorry Harold, I'm sorry."  
"How many people know? How many of you are there?"  
"Nobody, and there is only one of me."  
"Really? You never told anyone? And very funny, I'm trying to be serious Mr Reese."  
"I never trusted anyone enough to tell them before, and I've never met anyone like me. It's not like I could put an add in the personals."

Harold looked at him for a long time after that, eyes curious and sympathetic, but not pitying, there was nothing John hated more than pity.

"So, what kind of wolf are you? You don’t look right for a Grey."  
"No, not a Grey, as far as I can tell, I'm a Dire wolf."  
"They died out 10,000 years ago. Don’t try to tell me you are that old!"  
"No, no, I don’t really know what happened, I can remember it all clearly, but I still don’t know what it was. I was separated from my tribe during the move to the summer grounds when I was four, my mother was unwell, she was being carried with the other sick, I don’t know how I got lost but I did, I found a portal of some kind, I don’t know what it was or how it worked, but it was pretty, looking back, it was like shards of a broken mirror hanging and shimmering in the sky, so beautiful, and I had never seen anything so shiny, so I wanted to touch it, only it wasn’t solid, and I walked through it, then it disappeared before I could go back. I was stranded here, where nothing smelt or tasted right, but at least the prey was slow and easily caught or I would have starved, like I would have if I hadn't come through the portal. Then the Harris's found me while they were camping in Oregon, I learnt English fast, my mother always said I was clever, they gave me just over a year to acclimatise, then let me go to school with my age group, you know most of it after that."  
"Yes, and I thought I knew it all."  
"Almost all, you couldn’t be expected to know what there is no record of."  
"I thought there was something off with your Birth Certificate, but it was explained by you being born in International Waters. Obviously it was falsified four years after the supposed event, your adoptive parents must have been well connected."  
"Yes, they had many connections, in high and low places, enough to make it all legal."  
"Right, so did they know, about the canine thing?"  
"No. I have never told any body. Not another person alive knows what I am, just you."

Harold couldn’t stop staring into his eyes, they were completely open, shone with the sincerity of his every word, and full of love, for him. He shook his head slowly in denial, there was no way this man, even without the new 'wolf thing', could possibly be any more than a friend, but the look in John's eyes said differently. Then John gave him that tiny little half smile, and he couldn’t deny it any longer.

"Really?"  
"Yup."  
"But, really?"

Harold waved a hand vaguely in his own direction, very obviously asking what John could possibly see as attractive in a man like him. John saw nothing in Harold that he didn’t find attractive, so he decided to go for a little humorous distraction. 

"Fishing for compliments now Harold? Cause I can give you plenty, and some you might even believe, but every one would be true. You are the reason I'm still alive, you know that, for so many reasons, you are the reason I have a soul, because I had lost it before you found me, they beat it out of me, so many times, in so many ways, all they left was a heartless, soulless monster, I was working my way out of the city when they caught me on the tube, I was going to head for the mountains and be what they had made me. But you saved me. You gave me a purpose, a good, pure purpose, because The Machine isn't petty, or vindictive, or small, it is pure logic, and it can't betray me. And you never would."  
"No, no I wouldn’t."  
"I have loved you and trusted you as a friend for a long time, as Mr Finch, but I love Harold more, Harold and Bear are my Pack, my family, and I would grieve Bear with all my heart, but I can't live without you. My unit was my Pack all through the Army, and it was hard when they kept swapping men out, but I learnt to deal with it, but then I was recruited, and my Pack was my handler, she was all I had, then they took that from me too, they gave us both secret orders, told us both that the other had gone rogue so we had to kill them, told me it was my mess, because I hadn't seen it. I refused, when the time came, I wouldn’t even try, but she did, she shot me, lousy shot, telegraphed it too, but she tried, she turned on me, so I left her there, I didn’t even care if she lived or died, I just went underground, made my way back to the States, I thought I could get lost here, but I was just drinking myself to death, so I decided to go to the mountains before I finished the job."

Harold watched him carefully for a long moment before he spoke.

"I just have to know one thing, just answer me this, why didn’t you tell Jessica?"

John dropped his eyes for a moment before looking back to Harold, the pain clear to see in his eyes.

"I told Jessica not to wait, because every time I thought of telling her about this I broke out in a cold sweat, I told her to move on and live a happy life with her 'Peter', because I thought he would be better for her, and he killed her, because I was too scared to tell her. So I dealt with him."  
"John, will you tell me how you dealt with him?"  
"Are you sure you want to know?"  
"Yes. Because whatever decision you made, I know it was the best you could do at the time."

John smiled so beautifully at him for that open trust.

"I dropped him off unconscious at a Mexican prison with a pile of drugs, the Federales really don’t like American drug dealers, and nobody official knows to try and extradite him, he'll never see the light of day again."  
"Thank you for telling me, all of this, for trusting me."  
"I can't not trust you, you're Pack."

************ 

They were in the bedroom Harold had set up in the Library, and John was nervous, in as much as he didn’t want to hurt Harold and wasn’t sure how far he could go, how gentle he had to be or where he shouldn’t touch to make sure that he didn’t. He had stripped off his own clothes quickly and to be honest, he was hovering over Harold, he wanted to undress him his self but it was too late to join in now without looking like he was doing it for Harold's sake, instead of just because he would enjoy being allowed to touch, to unwrap his present, it had taken long enough to get Harold to agree to this without ruining it now. Harold sighed for the fourth time and snapped at him.

"Lie down Mr Reese!"

John was down in seconds, flat on his back, neck bared, cock half hard, whining quietly, he knew he had been hovering but Harold was showing obvious signs of pain.

"Well, I didn’t expect quite such immediate obedience, but I am pleased all the same. Do you like that Mr Reese? When I put you in your place? Yes you do, don’t you? Well, that will work wonderfully, because I do so enjoy obedience. Generally speaking I like to restrain my partners but I feel it will be much more satisfying to make you restrain your self."

He didn’t bother mentioning that trying to restrain him physically could well end in disaster because they both knew it. The heat in his eyes at the thought of making John obey him was enough to make John whimper again, and writhe just a little as his cock hardened fully in moments. Harold smiled down at him as he continued to, slowly, undress his self.

"Stay still Mr Reese, or you wont cum at all."

John whined again, louder, but he stayed perfectly still except where his cock was jumping of it's own accord, twitching in anticipation. It felt like hours later when Harold finally dropped his briefs, standing for a moment longer to allow John to look his fill. Harold wasn’t 'buff' but he was well toned through out most of his body, the main damage was to his hip and neck and everything else had to be strong to compensate, and it was. John finally allowed his self to look at his cock and sighed in anticipated pleasure, Harold was well proportioned, not huge, but nothing to be ashamed of either, and pleasantly thick, just enough for a proper mouthful, and John couldn’t help licking his lips. Harold chuckled.

"You seem a little eager Mr Reese, but I don’t think you've earned anything yet. I think you are going to spread you legs and lie very still while I play for a while, aren't you?"

John whined loudly again and spread his legs as far as they would go while he nodded a little too enthusiastically to be dignified. Harold chuckled as he sat his self on the bed beside his hip, smoothing his hand up and down his inner thigh as he grabbed the lube with his other hand.

"Yes, very eager, but I require words Mr Reese, when I ask you a question I expect an answer, do you understand?"  
"Yes Sir."  
"Oh no, I think that is a little too easy for you."  
"Yes Alpha."

John practically sighed his response and Harold looked shocked for a moment, then considered it before nodding.

"Better, now, you are going to keep your legs wide and lie very still while I play, aren't you?"  
"Yes please Alpha."

Harold smiled again, if he had known it would be this wonderful he would have allowed John to seduce him much sooner, then he opened the lube and put a little on his finger, slowly running it up and down the crease of John's ass, gently circling his hole but not putting any pressure on it. John couldn’t stop whining, he was concentrating so hard on not moving that he couldn’t even contemplate thinking about how needy he sounded, not that it would have bothered him any way, he couldn't show Harold how much he was affecting him but at least he could hear it in the tone of his whining, it was the only way he had to express his self right now. Harold couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, though he tried, as he slowly let the tip of his finger sink inside John and watched his eyes flutter closed, the high pitched whine telling him exactly how much he was enjoying his self, and he remained perfectly still.

"Good boy. One has to wonder if this is a natural response for you or trained?"

John growled at the word 'trained' and Harold smirked at him, pushing his finger in as far as it would go much faster than he should have with so little lube.

"Don’t growl at me John, use your words if you don’t like what I have to say. I'll take it from that little outburst that this is natural behaviour, and good boy for staying still, that was a little rough wasn’t it?"

John whined again.

"No, not too rough, please?"  
"Oh John, you really could be perfect, you know that? Now, I think I prefer you non verbal, so unless I ask you a question you can continue with your whining, I find I quite appreciate the open show of desperation."

John squeezed his eyes closed and whined very desperately at that, wanting nothing more than to show Harold just how much he appreciated being appreciated as he was, Harold had him so wound up before they even started that he hadn't been able to help the whining, to know it was not only allowed but approved of greatly was almost enough to send him over the edge, which didn’t go unnoticed by Harold.

"Oh John! You really are wonderful, such a good boy, and so easily pleased. How many times can I make you cum in one night John?"  
"I'm sorry, I don’t know Alpha."  
"Well then, I think we will have to find out very soon wont we my dear? But not tonight, tonight I plan on seeing just how good your self control is. I am going to do exactly as I please, for as long as I please, and you are not going to cum. Do you understand my boy?"  
"Yes Alpha!"

John managed to grit out between his clenched teeth, trying desperately not to cum just at the suggestion. Harold was still grinning, the power rush from having 'this man' beneath his hands and in his control was unbelievable. It had been so long since he had controlled anyone, since before Grace, that anyone would have been good, but John was a god send, he was absolutely perfect so far, and he couldn’t wait to push some more and find his boundaries, wherever they may be.

It turned out that John had really amazing self control, even better than Harold would have believed possible, as he drove him to the edge time and again with hardly a muscle twitch to show for it, if it weren't for John's eyes fluttering shut momentarily as he neared climax and a hitch in his breath breaking the whining Harold would never have known how close he was. John responded well to pain, but unbelievably well to praise of any kind, whining and keening almost constantly as Harold told him how good he was, how well controlled and perfect for him, he also liked it when Harold described how he felt, how hot and wet and smooth he was inside, how well he grasped at his fingers, like he couldn’t stand to loose them. And he took it all for hours, literally, it was over two and a half hours after they had begun that Harold had finally had enough of tormenting him, unwilling to ignore his own erection any longer, by which time he had decided exactly how he wanted John. He slowly pulled his four fingers out of John, loving the high pitched keening it got him.

"Hush now dear, it's time to move now, I want you to move over for me, I'm going to lay down ok?"  
"Yes Alpha."

John's voice was wrecked, just like his body, deep and gravely like he had been screaming, which was a thought worth coming back to later, and his body covered in sweat where he had worked so hard to stay still for so long. Harold almost felt sorry for him as he slowly made his over tensed muscles relax so he 'could' move after holding his self so rigid for so long, but he knew he would feel this for days and would love every minute of it. It didn’t take Harold long to lay his self out on the bed and prop his head and shoulders up on the pillows.

"Now straddle me. I am going to lie here comfortably and watch you ride my cock, aren't I dear?"  
"Please Alpha! Please!"  
"Hush, calm down, I will tell you when you can cum."  
"Thank you Alpha!"

John couldn’t deny that he was actually a little relieved at that, he had wondered if he would be allowed to cum at all after Harold's comment, not that he would have complained, or been all that bothered if he hadn't, he just preferred knowing he eventually would. He settled his self over Harold's legs as soon as he was still and raised up enough to give Harold room to position his cock at his hole. Harold teased his cleft for a long while, making him stay in the awkward half crouch until he was good and ready, then he pushed up until he was resting just inside John, both of them sighing in pleasure and Harold told him to wait. John froze, perfectly willing to stay exactly where he was for as long as his legs would hold out. Harold smiled up at him, praising him, then took hold of his hips and dragged him down as he thrust up, slamming his cock straight in to the hilt, dragging a yell out of John that almost made him cum there and then. John sat perfectly still, impaled fully on his cock, panting with his head dropped forward, tipped to the side, offering his throat, and Harold gratefully accepted it. He grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled his head down roughly, then sank his teeth into his neck, right where it met the shoulder, biting deep enough to mark him well, just shy of drawing blood. John howled, long and loud and clear, his body convulsing as he desperately fought off his climax. Harold grinned around his mouthful and jerked his hips up, just to see if he could push him over the edge without permission, he had to know how far he could go, how much John could take, and apparently it was quite a bit, because he still didn’t cum, though his cock was twitching like a demented thing, looking like it had a life of it's own.

"God you are perfect! You are so good, such a good boy for me aren't you my John? Wont be long now John, ride me well my boy, ride me hard."

John whined louder and started slamming his self up and down on Harold, pounding his own prostate as often as he could stand, keeping his self right on the edge until Harold growled at him.

"Cum!"

John keened with relief and let his self finally fall over the precipice, his whole body shaking and convulsing as he came over three hours after he first wanted to. The climax tore through his body for what felt like hours, he vaguely noticed that Harold  
yelled too as he came, filling him and setting off more aftershocks, leaving him completely drained with just enough instinct left to slow his self as he fell forward, covering Harold, still twitching, snuffling into his neck as he came close to passing out. Harold chuckled as he snuggled in.

"I thought you were supposed to be a dog not a cat?"  
"Wolf."

John muttered, barely coherent.

"Yes, so I see, more teddy bear I think."  
"Thank you Alpha."

The words were slurred and quiet but Harold could still just about make out what he had said.

"You are more than welcome my precious boy."

They lay quietly, regaining their breath for a long while until John started whining again. Harold frowned, not knowing what could possibly be wrong at this point.

"Talk to me John, what is it?"  
"Don’t leave."  
"Oh John, I'm not going anywhere."

John just whined more and squirmed, which made Harold pay attention to the fact that his own cock had softened and naturally slipped out of John. He chuckled and slid one hand down his back, cupping his cheek for a moment before pushing two fingers deep inside him, playing with his own cum for a moment, much to Johns delighted whimpering and writhing, then laid still, fingers firmly inside his lover.

"How did you ever survive without me precious?"  
"Never let anyone else in, couldn’t trust anyone."  
"You never let anyone else in? In how?"  
"At all. Only let Jessica in my bed, couldn’t sleep with her there though."  
"You have slept in the Library before."  
"Trust you."  
"Oh my precious, you have never had a man inside you before and you let me torment you for hours, you're going to be so sore tomorrow."

Harold pushed his fingers in and out of John a few times.

"You really should be too sore for this."

Harold paused as he realised what he had just said, frowning.

" Is this hurting you John?"  
"Yes Alpha."

Harold sighed and shock his head, slowly slipping his fingers out and pushing back in with only one. John whined.

"No. I chose when you get hurt. I decide if you need pain or pleasure, I decide when or if you get to cum, when you will stay hard and when you will not. Do you understand my precious? I make those choices, not you, your body is mine now, to do with as 'I' please. Your pleasure is mine and mine alone, understood?"  
"Please Alpha!"  
"That's what I thought. That's exactly what you need isn't it John? And that is what you have, you are mine now, I suggest you don’t forget it."  
"Never! Yours Alpha, always yours."  
"Good. Now, slide over, nice as this is it will kill my back by morning, so lay next to me instead, do not let go. Now sleep, we both need it."

John grinned as Harold settled, he finally had everything he had ever wanted, a purpose and an Alpha. He fell asleep with the smile firmly attached to his face.

************ 

Luka was stunned, to say the least, there was a hell of a lot more to this man than even he had anticipated, so much more, the complexity of his feelings for Harold alone were unfathomable for most humans, and the sensory input while in wolf form was immense, he couldn’t wait to try it out. He felt John's amusement. 

[You might want to hold off on that. Just think it through a moment.]  
[The sensory overload might be an issue to start but I can get used to it.]  
[Uh huh. What comes before that?]  
[Huh?]  
[The shift, Muppet. When I shift my body changes shape vastly, and rapidly, what's that going to do to you?]  
[I have no idea. I think it might be an idea to let our better halves think about that before we give it a try.]  
[Ya think?]  
[You really are a smart ass aren't you?]

John could not let that one go, so he very carefully and fully imagined his self as he was laid on the sofa, looking up and over to the bright green, yellow and black plushie snake he had seen advertised on TV at some point, sat on the chair Harold had left there earlier, and rolled his eyes very deliberately.

[Very funny.]  
[I know.]  
[You can go off people you know.]  
[Hum, feel free to leave any time you want, you're the guest here.]  
[That is really besides the point Mr Reese. Twerp.]  
[Where on Earth did you pick that up?]  
[Can't really remember, heard it ages ago, I think we were in England at the time, but I might be wrong.]  
[You know I know exactly where you picked it up right? You know you thought of it as soon as I asked? I know what you're thinking Luka.]  
[Really? I wouldn’t have noticed. Smart ass.]  
[I think we've been over this already.]  
[Yes, I've been meaning to ask, your mother looks Ainu, but your father is almost definitely Bedouin, how did that happen?]  
[I was four the last time I saw my mother, my father had died about six months before that, do you really think they had the 'how I met your mother' conversation with me?]  
[Well, I suppose it could explain why you're so good with languages, they spoke Arabic and Ainu around you while you were growing up, and there were several other languages spoken around you too.]  
[I never really thought of it that way, we just spoke. The problem was when the Harris's found me and I had to learn English, they got frustrated when they couldn’t understand me. I remember thinking the other children were very slow, and wondering why there were so few words for things, English is very restrictive, but I suppose it would be if we had been speaking in several different languages before hand.]  
[I suppose it would, I think it might be time to see what our better halves are doing.]  
[I think you might be right, or we could chat for a little longer?]  
[You know, I think I might like you Mr Reese, you have my kind of sense of humour.]  
[Why thank you Mr Luka. Now lets see if the others are ok.]  
[It really is sweet how much you worry over him, at least we can have him back in full health soon, so that will be one less thing to worry about.]  
[Yes, that would be good.]

John opened his eyes and looked over to where he could still hear Harold typing, checking his partners body language without even thinking about it, taking in the relaxed and pain free posture and smiling. He loved nothing more than a happy Harold, and Harold with a mystery to solve and no pain was going to be very happy. John watched Harold carefully for a long while, taking the time now that he was assured they were both truly safe, to really pay attention to the difference in his lover now that he wasn’t in pain. Harold looked happy, that was what really struck him, not the same bright mischief he shone with when he was tormenting John in bed, not the quiet contentment of a number solved without loss of life, but a soft all encompassing joy John had never seen on him before, like he was content with his life, like he wasn’t in constant pain, and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

[Thank you.]  
[You are most welcome. They complete us, Jovan and Harold, without them we are pointless, undone, worse than dead, we need them, or we are not us. I should be thanking you John, for giving us the most compatible companions we could have.]  
[I think we are even, Jovan has taken away the pain, and you are both giving us so much longer than I could have dreamed of together, though he may not thank you for that after a while.]  
[We really have to work on your ego John, it's not wrong to actually have one you know?]  
[I have enough. I have him, for as long as he will have me, and when he sees sense, you can find someone that will make him happy.]  
[You know, if I was capable I'd hit you for that, and I will eventually get it through your thick head that you are the only one he wants, even I can see that! But we can deal with that later, right now, lets discuss munitions!]

John grinned as he allowed his self the easy out from that particular conversation, and got stuck in to his second favourite topic, weapons.

************ 

It had been three weeks since they had first 'met' Luka and Jovan, and Jovan was finally strong enough to try to heal Harold, but as soon as he took stock of the injuries he knew he wouldn't be able to completely heal him, so they had headed for the abandoned warehouse where they had hidden the sarcophagus and John had lifted an indignant Harold inside. That had been over an hour ago and John couldn’t take his eyes off the sarcophagus, waiting for it to release Harold, to make sure his partner was safe, to hopefully see him physically healed, though he still wasn’t convinced about that. Luka snorted at him.

[Just how long does it take to gain your trust John?]  
[You can see for your self if you're interested. How much longer is this going to take?]  
[As long as it needs John, you know the damage was extensive, there is a lot to be repaired, but it shouldn’t be too much longer.]  
[Is this going to work?]

Luka knew it didn’t really matter what he said right now, John wouldn’t, couldn’t, trust even the memories he had full access to, not until he saw Harold with his own two eyes, not until he could hold him and feel for his self that his partner, his lover, his Alpha, his life was safe and whole, but he had to try anyway. John was so wound up and worried, no, he was terrified, scared out of his wits that he could loose Harold, because it would be worse than dying for John. Luka was constantly impressed and amazed by John, how well he controlled and used his fear, how he held his natural instincts in check so rigidly yet bent so easily for Harold, he was surprisingly fragile yet unbelievably resilient, and still terrified for his Alpha.

[You have seen this John, you know he will be well, above all you know I would never risk Jovan.]

John took a deep breath and settled his self, he knew Luka was just as devoted to Jovan as he was to Harold, was just as passionate about him, though they were true equals, not Alpha and Beta like Harold and John, neither of them could even conceive of the thought of allowing their partner to suffer or leaving them in harms way. Luka felt the wave of gratitude and apology for his lack of faith, and sent back understanding and strength. 

Then the sarcophagus opened.

John practically launched his self at it as the top slid open, rushing for his first look at his Alpha in over an hour. Harold sat up slowly, blinking twice as he realised he could see perfectly without is glasses, and for the first time in years he was not only pain free but he could move freely, his neck wasn’t stiff, his leg felt perfectly normal, nothing was tight or pinched or 'wrong' in his body. 

Harold didn’t notice when tears started falling from his eyes, but John did.  
Harold didn’t notice the radiant smile on his own face, but John did.  
Harold didn’t notice the shudders of pure emotion wracking his body, but John did.

John couldn’t hold back, he reached into the sarcophagus and pulled his Alpha out, wrapped him in his arms and held tight as he tried to reassure them both that everything was ok. Harold couldn’t help it, he started laughing, he hadn't felt so good in his life, he had everything he could have ever wanted and a few he had never dreamt of too, he had all the money he had ever wanted as a young man, he had a purpose with the Numbers, he had perfect health, he had a constant companion and mentor in Jovan, an amazing friend in Luka, an inconceivable lifespan ahead of him, and most importantly, he had John, not only a perfectly matched submissive but the most loyal, perfect partner he could ever have imagined in love and business. There was not a thing he could think of that would improve his life right now short of the whole 'peace on Earth' cliché, a thought that had Jovan chuckling in his head. Then he realised John was shaking, just as he began keening. Harold once more marvelled at Johns self control, even with the state he was in he was still careful of Harold, just as careful as he had always had to be with his fragile and broken body, only he wasn’t broken any more, he was whole and healthy, he could finally offer some of the physical strength John had always given him so freely back to his lover.

"I'm here precious, breath for me, I'm here, I have you John, I have you now, let go precious, I have you."

It amazed Harold, even now, just how much John trusted him, after everything he had been put through by others in his life, that he could still trust at all was amazing, that he gave Harold such trust and loyalty was a miracle he would never question for fear of breaking the spell. For John to let go now, to drop his walls and masks and show just how relieved he was, show how scared he had been, how vulnerable he was to Harold, when he protected his self so carefully from all others, it was humbling to say the least. 

"John, you have to breath for me precious, take a deep breath, that's right, perfect, my perfect boy, so good for me, such a perfect boy, and again, deep breath, good boy."

Harold guided John down to the floor until he was leant against the wall and John was laid with his face buried in his belly and wrapped around him, curled almost into a ball around him, still shaking but no longer keening. Harold kept talking to him and running his fingers through his hair until he finally stopped shaking and his breath settled down to a near sleep like calm, pulling his self back together, but not yet raising his walls. Harold made the most of this time, the first time outside of their bedroom in the Library, and hours of taking him down, that he had seen him so open, it was a moment to be treasured. Eventually Harold chanced asking him a direct question, abstract though it was, at the time.

"As a boy, all I ever wanted to do was build things, write code and make machines that could help people, what did you want precious, what did you dream of?"

He almost didn’t expect an answer, and certainly not the one he got.

"Dogs. I just wanted dogs, to teach them, train them, breed them. Dogs don’t lie, they don’t betray you, they are like me, I just wanted to be with dogs. Pack."  
"Pack."  
"I have a Pack now, for the first time since I was four I have a Pack. And two out of five I can't see."  
"Five?"  
"Us and Bear."  
"Only you John, Lionel would be most upset to hear that."  
"Yes, he was when I told the Arians I only had one friend. I think I like him, I'm not sure, can he be a friend if I don’t really trust him?"  
"Yes John, friendship is a lot like religion, you have to take a lot of it on faith."  
"Oh. Okay."

Harold couldn’t help the sad sigh at that proof that he really was Johns only friend, that this loving and unbelievably loyal man had never been able to trust anyone before they had met, but had tried so hard to believe in others anyway. The CIA really had a lot to answer for but they had only finished the job life had started on John when he had gotten separated from his people and ended up 10,000 years in his future, stranded, lost and alone.

[He is uncommonly strong Harold, and you only make him stronger, every time you show your faith in him you make him better, you allow him to believe in his self, you allow him to believe in his instincts by proving that he was right to believe in you every moment of every day, and I know Luka will be doing his best to help too. Just by being you, you make him better, you allow him to be 'him', the man he should have been. Just keep being you.]  
[But don’t you want to be you for a while? You have been here for weeks now, and the only difference in our lives are constant companions if we want to talk or ask advice and being in perfect health, it doesn’t seem to be very equitable at the moment.]  
[We have had millennia together Harold, and we will be with you for a long time, we can take a break for a while, it is really no hardship, especially when we are constantly together anyway, we don’t have to talk to know, and if we needed time we both know you and John would allow it. You are still young my friend, make the most of it, and each other, and let the old guys rest for a century or so.]  
[Thank you Jovan.]

Harold smiled gently down at John where he was quietly rubbing his face against his belly, still searching for comfort. 

"What do you say we go home? I'm fairly sure we have comfortable furniture somewhere."  
"Library."  
"If you want precious, whatever you want."

John finally pulled back a little, uncurling his self so he could look up at Harold with a shy smile and tired eyes.

"Please Alpha."

At first Harold was a little shocked, it was the first time John had called him that outside of the bedroom, but it quickly sunk in that John wasn’t asking for sex, he was just honestly letting Harold know exactly how he felt about him. He almost made a joke about whether that made John the Alpha bitch but decided against it, it was a little too crass. He smiled instead as they got to their feet and he carefully stretched his arms above his head in a way he hadn't been able to for years, revelling in the physical freedom. John smiled at him, true joy shining in his eyes as he watched the easy movement. 

"Let's go home, Bear will be waiting for us."  
"Yes, home, and maybe we can see about finding a mate for Bear soon, see if we can't have a few little pups."

John's smile could have lit the Eastern Seaboard.

 

Perfectus.


End file.
